Nandan Nilekani is the commander in chief chosen by the govt of India to drive its highly ambitious project of uniquely identifying every living Indian and the generations to follow. The task of identifying more than 1 billion Indians spread across the globe, spread across the economic and education strata, from the richest to the poorest, from the Harvard graduate to the illiterate masses, its one heck of a challenge. But then its for tasks like these you have people like Nandan Nilekani who become - the chosen one.
The Govt. of India's Unique Identification Project seems to be one of the most higly complex but at the same time highly rewarding projects in India. Complex-due to the sheer number of people targeted to benefit from it. Each and every Indian in the world. The UI will enable the Govt to know its people, its needs, and act accordingly to achieve the benefit of all. A single number when scanned will enable you all access, all priviledges granted.
No more worries of a thousand govt cards for different purposes. No more separate documents reqd. This unique number will serve as your finger print at election times, while applying for schools and colleges, bank accounts, driver's license, passport, buying home, paying taxes, applying for jobs and millions of other places. Just imagining the convenience it will bring to common man gives this project a thumbs up from the word go. Not only that, an identification like this endorsed by the govt of India will be accepted without any doubt in any organization.And in all likelihood it will come to rescue in foreign countries should we need to provide one.
And this is just the scratch of the surface. Billions of other advantages will follow suit, like the govt creating schemes and ensuring onlythe deserving get the benefits, no more duplicate voting, malpractices in the name of identity theft, fraudulent visas, accounts, licenses and many many more.
But all this will come only when this project sees the end of the tunnel and its one long tunnel. The complexities are daunting. The number of people, the bureaucracy involved, the security involved, the large infrastrucuture involved and ofcourse the money all make it no less easy for Nandan Nilekani. Its a big task where the slightest mistake can cause havoc with the project and maybe even with people's lives. Just imagining that the system may not be able to identify me or worse is hacked to identify me as someone else gives me jitters. So it has to be an almost fool proof and completely secure system, the information of which to be guarded like the country's most confidential data.
Sounding like a critic like the scores of others who may think and even criticize the govt for undertaking a project of this magnitude. To all of them i say "If you think it cant' be done, dont' stop others from doing it !!"
The project is a brilliant one and Nandan Nilekani is a capable man to ensure it sees the light of the day.
Let us all be rest assured that we are uniquely,securely and most important correctly - identified.
